Foreign Aid And Corruption

[lindapalmara]

I know Foreign Aid has been discussed on this forum but this struck a cord with me because of my experience of visiting Skri Lanka 2 years after the tsunami and finding that the Aid sent this country and others had not got past the Politicians. The UK Aid bill is rising faster than any other country in the EU. I read an article at the weekend about all the Fat cat Aid consultants making Billions out of it. Is this time to change?

http://www.pressreader.com/uk/daily-mail/20150526/282870844413281/TextView

[sp1814]

Yes, I did look it up.

The word you're thinking of is 'homophone'.

However, in the strictest sense, a homonym must be both a homograph and a homophone (so say many dictionaries). However, other dictionaries allow that a homonym can be a homograph or a homophone.

I think we're both right, and wrong at the same time.

I don't think there's a word for that.

[lindapalmara]

So

The word was a typo, not a homonym. I would never be so pedantic that I would pick someone up for a typo!!

[sp1814]

lindapalmara

Me neither.

But I would have had to know it was a typo at the time.

...which I dudn't.

(Yes, that was deliberate).

[naomi24]

This thread has drifted from the subject somewhat - and all for a typo, the meaning of which was perfectly clear. Shame really.

[sp1814]

naomi24

I think that there have been plenty of decent answers to lindapalmara's original question.

Besides, I'm sure you would have noticed, as I have, that very few questions remain strictly 'on topic' in the News section past the first page.

[naomi24]

I've noticed - but this is silly.

[douglas9401]

What, exactly, does Graham Norton's Blackberry have to do with foreign aid?

[Hypognosis]

@sp1814

Yes, I posted in haste and subsequent googling just left me increasingly confused. Why have one word for something when we can have three, subtly different ones which only a few care to distinguish? QI explained it better. If I hadn't have seen that, I would have let your comment go.

I could get pedantic about typos: any five letter combination where one key was mishit would be a typo. Missing a letter completely is a spelling error. No biggie, except when people pretend it wasn't one. X-)

And then there are touch-screen keyboards, which are another story. If I type too fast (two fingers, on the mobile), letters do go awol. The mishit key possibilities are broadly similar but interestingly different in the vicinity of the H key.

[sp1814]

Hypognosis

I'm impressed that the AB censor allowed 'mishit'!

[ummmm]

And don't start on auto correct!!!

[mushroom25]

//Besides, I'm sure you would have noticed, as I have, that very few questions remain strictly 'on topic' in the News section past the first page//

it's better than it used to be - not too long ago, you'd get a post on a serious thread like "hiya hun, how's your bert's lumbago?".......

:-)

[Svejk]

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/579366/Foreign-aid-scandal-UK-money-convicted-Palestinian-terrorists